A framework for maximizing conservation stewardship effectiveness in mosaic landscapes: bringing together ecological priority and social feasibility

Summary

Effective conservation of rare species requires approaches that extend beyond protected areas and integrate the perspectives of diverse landowners. We synthesized results from rare plant assessments with landowner perceptions and conservation values in landscapes with a mix of ownership and management types to produce an integrated framework for maximizing stewardship effectiveness. We combined field surveys of rare plant species across five landownership types (private, provincial, federal, non-profit and leaseholder) with semi-structured interviews of representatives of these groups in the Redberry Lake Biosphere Region of Canada to identify conservation values, landowner attitudes, perceived challenges, preferred incentives and legislative awareness across ownership types. Derived from the results, our framework drew attention to ecological priority and social feasibility as key elements of integrated conservation management. The framework provided operational definitions for each element and highlighted that even regional conservation strategies must account for variation in landownership and values. This framework therefore serves as a cohesive approach to applying both ecological and social evidence to inform decision-making for biodiversity conservation in mosaic landscapes. Our experience suggests that bringing together evidence from the natural and social sciences offers novel insights, and the framework we propose may be transferable across a range of conservation contexts.